I didn’t know that there were so many bizarre, unconventional sports in the Olympics.  I didn’t know that you could be a world class trampoliner or is it trampolinest?  It seems like such a niche sport, worthless in any way that could be perceived as relevant to anything else in the world.  Ping-Pong?  Or as the ping-pong athletes refer to as table tennis.  Just because it has a grown up name doesn’t mean that it’s a real sport.  Sure it’s entertaining, but is it really a sport?  What about badminton?  How about synchronized swimming or synchronized diving.  Just because it is almost interesting on its own, doesn’t mean that adding a partner makes it doubly interesting.  I actually saw an exhibition of synchronized trampolining.  Are  you serious?  What’s next, synchronized javelin or synchronized weight lifting?  All I’m saying is that just because a few people play an obscure sport that hasn’t been relevant in 100 years, doesn’t mean that I have to watch the best athletes in those sports compete for the gold.  How about if the IOC picked some sports that people might enjoy watching or at least have a modern day following.  If they can’t do that, why not just bring back jousting or maybe build a giant gladiator stadium in the middle of London for the 2012 games and let the athletes fight lions and tigers.  I’d love to see the Russian rythmic gymnastic team fight a bear.

The Olympics ended just over a week ago, and it seems like they never even happened.  The Olympic games crash into your life every four years like a drunk cousin at a family reunion, and then disappear just as quickly as they arrived and like your drunk cousin, your hard pressed to even recall a name.  Sure, this year there happened to be a Phelps, but, really how often does that happen?  I think back over all the games that I’ve watched since I was a kid and I can only remember a few names, and I’m sure most people can only remember a few names over the history of the games.  Jesse Owens, Mark Spitz, Greg Louganis and only because he hit his head, and maybe Carl Lewis.  Oh yeah, and don’t forget the little gymnastic girl with the hurt ankle and the creepy images of her being carried off the floor by that creepy old guy.  I think that was in Atlanta.  And that brings up another point, as in what is the point of having the games in your city.  Does it really help the city?  Does anyone even remember what city the 1996 games were held in besides the athletes?  The only thing more forgettable than the summer Olympics are the winter Olympics.  I don’t even want to start on them.